Today in World War II History—25 May 1944
Saturday, May 25, 2019 by Sarah Sundin
German prisoners of war at Cisterna, Italy, 25 May 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)
75 Years Ago—25 May 1944: US VI Corps from Anzio joins US II Corps from the Gustav Line, near Littoria, Italy.
US VI Corps takes Cisterna, Italy.
German paratroopers raid the hideout of Yugoslavian partisan leader Tito, almost capturing him—and visitor Randolph Churchill, son of Winston Churchill.
Countdown to D-day: Outgoing mail from US soldiers in in Britain is impounded until after D-day as a security precaution.
Map showing link-up of US II and VI Corps in Italy, 25 May 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)
I interviewed a WWII veteran in 1995 that parachuted into the Valmontone, Italy, in February 1944. He was Army counterintelligence. He was sent in to discover if one of his high school classmates, who was with the OSS, had been captured by the Germans. If he was in German hands, his mission was to rescue or eliminate him. I write about it in my novel, Operation King Cobra.
I’m so glad his story has been told!